Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, davidgclohessy@gmail.com)

A Cleveland judge has denied defense lawyers request that a priest, Fr. James McGonegal, be allowed into an alternate sentence program. We applaud this move. Citizens are safest when predators are locked up.

Survivors in the audience gasped in horror last night when Cardinal George Pell rejected as unreasonable the Australian Royal Commission's request that the Vatican produce child sex abuse files. Pell claimed the files contained the internal workings of a sovereign state.

Cardinal Pell is hiding details of crimes committed on Australia soil against Australian children behind specious claims to be a sovereign state. But if that is the case, why is the Australian government funding this foreign power?